Power, politics and philandering too often go hand-in-hand

Morality, introspection and self-discipline may not automatically make for saints or well-behaved public officials, but sometimes a little law and order, regulation and public shame can go a long way.

The recent sex scandal involving hundreds of US government employees - including some holding sensitive jobs in the White House and on Capitol Hill - accessing an adultery website using Internet connections in their offices, to me, is as explosive as any Hollywood blockbuster.

According to reports by The Associated Press, the recent data breach of AshleyMadison.com, a website positioned to facilitate extramarital affairs, has exposed accounts that can be traced back to "federal workers, including those of at least two assistant US attorneys; an information technology administrator in the Executive Office of the President; a division chief, investigator and a trial attorney in the Justice Department; a government hacker at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and another DHS employee who indicated he worked on a US counterterrorism response team."

The investigation also revealed that "a few actually paid for their services with their government email accounts …[including] workers at more than two dozen Obama administration agencies, including the departments of State, Defense, Justice, Energy, Treasury, Transportation and Homeland Security. Others came from House or Senate computer networks."

Although the government-employed subscribers have yet to be accused of any crimes (so far), details of their sexual activities that were once private are now penetrating the public domain thanks to the power of the Internet and the social media.

Such brow-raising sex scandals, though playing out in the US, remind me of similar occurrences in China, where government employees ensnared in illicit affairs often squander public money on extravagant lifestyles for their secret lovers.

As the Chinese government vows to clean up the Communist Party's image and continue its crackdown on corruption, shady bureaucrats are disciplined for their nefarious activities, including engaging in extramarital affairs.

According to a government report released in 2007, about 90 percent of top officials brought to justice on corruption accounts had mistresses, many with more than one.

The ultimate symbol of corruption, a mistress has become a public nuisance in China's political arena. The recent series of arrests of senior government officials and their confirmed philandering, again and again, has caused a national stir.

Zhou Yongkang, former member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and secretary of the Commission for Political and Legal Affairs of the CPC Central Committee, was accused of having "abused his position to help family members, mistresses and friends gain enormous benefits via business activities" and "committed adultery with a number of women in power-for-sex and money-for-sex trades," according to a Xinhua report in June.

Ma Jian, former vice-minister of state security, the highest-ranking intelligence official snagged by the ongoing anticorruption net, is reported to have six villas and six mistresses.

Earlier, CPC Politburo member and party chief of Chongqing Bo Xilai "had inappropriate sexual relations with multiple women," Xinhua reported. Former railways minister Liu Zhijun reportedly kept 18 mistresses.

Although not a criminal offense in China, adultery committed by senior Party and government officials is a violation of Communist Party regulations and rules.

According to Article 150 in Chapter 14 of the Party's Handbook, adultery is described as a breach of Party discipline. Punishment comes on three levels: 1) receiving a warning or severe warning; 2) being stripped of all Party posts or put on probation; and 3) being expelled from the Party, depending on the severity of the case and its negative societal impact.

In the US, Defense Secretary Ash Carter confirmed the Pentagon was investigating the list of people who used military email addresses to access AshleyMadison.com. It's reassuring to know that in the US, adultery can be a criminal offence under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

Hopefully, public officials will start to think twice before they decide to give free rein their primal lust: Don't do it, or, the skeleton will one day fall out of the closet.

Contact the writer at junechang@chinadailyusa.com.